14-year-old fake cop tried to make traffic stops, had cache of fake police gear
VICTORVILLE, Calif. -- In San Bernardino County outside Los Angeles, a 14-year old boy is in trouble with the sheriff's department for pretending to be a deputy. Recently, he pulled up to a home with red and blue flashing lights, a uniform and a realistic-looking gun.
Sharon Khawlid wanted to help because the teen told her he was responding to a domestic disturbance call.
"That's why I followed him," she explained. "Because I wanted to make sure he got to those people."
But Sharon's granddaughter, Jasmine Jones, knew something wasn't right.
"He looked like, baggy clothing, kind of casual, like a security guard that was just given a job," Jones said. "He kept wiping his nose. He was fidgety."
That might be because he was just 14 years old. When deputies searched his home they found a cache of fake police gear, possibly purchased online. It included the uniform he was wearing, a gun belt, ballistic vest, helmet and counterfeit money.
"He's 14 so he clearly had no driver's license," said Mara Rodriguez with the Victorville Police Department.
He lived with his great-grandmother and police say he took her car, outfitting it with flashing lights. Police found it days later and arrested the boy.
"He was attempting to make traffic stops and attempted to contact people at their homes," said Rodriguez. "It's something he really put thought into."
We know the boy's parents didn't have custody of him, and police are not releasing his name or a motive. But the boy is being held in a detention center and faces felony charges including impersonating a police officer.
